Sunday Bloody Sunday (or the weekends go by too quickly)

Up and out to get my coffee early, it's a beautiful morn. These weekends go by too quickly. I need to paint my nails. They're bubble gum pink with sparkles and I'm thinking they need to be purple and sparkly. And who knew the post office closed at noon on Saturday? Ugh. I don't really have much to say. We're considering sushi and a movie this afternoon. I want to see Total Recall. We watched Notting Hill the other day - not so sure that was my kind of movie - they needed prettier cars and far more explosions and fewer "moments". Oh, and some aliens. And Vin Diesel. Don't get me wrong, romantic comedies have their place and there are a few I have enjoyed...but...there are times I wish I made movies.

Vin playing the part of Hugh Grant. And his roommate being an alien. Or maybe Julia Roberts (yes, I too am surprised I remember their names) is the alien. Oooo, or better yet Julia and the roommate are both aliens from warring planets. And they all drive street racing cars with under carriage neon and nitrous tanks. That fly. And shoot lasers. And there is something that blows up every 5 minutes - and every time Julia and Vin kiss. And Will Smith makes an appearance ala Independence Day AND Hancock AND Men In Black....Now...that's a movie! Hehe.

I looked at under carriage neon and chrome details for Mia (they have this wonderful package that would allow me to chrome her door handles and some of the detailing - it would match her chromed grill *sigh*). And pretty chasing lights - though I'm not sure for what, exactly. It's hard to justify the expense but I can dream....Funny, in discussing this with R, he mistakenly thought that my desire to turn Mia into a pimpmobile had something to do with drawing the attention of others. This error amused me, the pimping of Mia is for my own enjoyment. I could care less what others think or if they even noticed and frankly, I would prefer that they didn't. I like what I like and I like things that are shiny. And sparkly. And light up.

I suppose the story of me and the HIDs warrants retelling as I got an education recently. And next Saturday, I am taking donuts to the guys at the Dodge dealership and ABC for all their help in teaching this noob about her own car....

Recently, my cute neighbor (who admires my Mia - and I must confess, I admire him...especially when he's in jeans and a tshirt, sitting on the steps, smoking and he stops me to chat about cars - he's got these amazing eyes and is quick to smile) pointed out that my headlight was out. So, in my infinite ignorance, I drove to Jiffy Lube to have them replace it. It was a stormy night after work, I'm waiting in the little room, texting and talking on the phone when the man comes in. He says they cannot replace my headlight as they are HIDs. I had no clue what this meant - it was like he was speaking Latin and Greek and French all at once. He went on to say they're very expensive. And he couldn't tell me where to go to find them - he said Google them...

So, I went home that night and Googled HIDs....

I found that they are somewhat pricy but not nearly what I was thinking. I couldn't find a retail location within a reasonable distance so I called a number on a random site and left them a message. The guy calls me back an hour later, yes, he has what I need. However, he needs to get in touch with "his guy" who is on the north side. He says to get the bulbs I need, I will need to go to a residential address. So on my lunch hour, I drive to a random location about 15 minutes from my work. I park, stand outside of the building and call the first guy. He in turn calls "his guy" who comes out a few minutes later with an unmarked white box. I hand over my cash over the fence and leave, feeling like I've just done something dirty.

That evening, I go to my regular Jiffy Lube and ask if they can install them. They are as inept as I would have been, if not more so. After a frustrating 45 minutes, they give up. I get my brake lights replaced as one was out and go home.

Next day, Saturday, I get up, throw my hair in a ponytail and head out just before 9 AM, determined to get the damned things installed. I go to a mechanic nearby, the people there say they can do the work but not until Monday (I have a date that evening so I want them done now as I know I will most likely be driving in the dark). One guy suggests another place not far. So I head there. They say they cannot replace parts that aren't bought at their shop. So I ask if they carry HIDs. The guy shakes his head and I leave with my bulbs and growing irritation.

I drive to another shop - where a group of men are sitting around a table smoking, surrounded by lawn mowers and piles of unrecognizable parts. They were sweet and took a look but they didn't think they could do it that day, the person who knows HIDs wasn't in and getting to the drivers side light was not an easy task, however, if I wanted to come back Monday, they'd give it a try...I thanked them for their time and left.

I finally wound up at a Dodge dealership thinking if anyone knows Mia, they would. They were brilliant - willing to help at all costs. They took my baby into their shop and I headed into the waiting room. Surrounded by pretty Dodges that made me drool. After about 20 minutes, one of the guys comes in and says it's not just my bulb but the ballast. He could sense my disappointment and said he'd hook me up. He gave me an address, told me to go see Tony and tell him Squirrel sent me.

I head down the road and pull a wicked U-turn as I see the storefront is opposite me. I park on the street and walk into, well, heaven - sound systems that make me quiver, neon and chrome that cause me to quake. I walk up to the man behind the counter and ask if he's Tony. His eyes fix upon me and he nods. I tell him Squirrel sent me. He looks at me a bit longer and a peal of laughter escapes him.

I relay the saga of K and the HIDs. He takes pity upon me and assures me that not only can he help me but they can help me right away (by now it's noon). He directs me to the waiting room and offers me his wifi access - noting that I'm buried in my phone when not admiring the goods.

I wander around, daydreaming...purple neon...chrome handles...chasing lights...periodically poking at my phone...Unable to sit for any length of time with all the sparklies around me...

After pacing about for an hour, Tony and the boys have fixed Mia up - they used my bulbs, put in a new ballast and didn't charge me labor for the bulb installation. I think I fell in love that day. I owe serious thanks to Squirrel and the Dodge boys and Tony and his team. Utterly brilliant. I leave that day behind, better for the enlightenment. I now know that if my headlight goes out or if I simply want to dress Mia in chrome from grill to gas tank, simply go see Tony. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Just go see Tony. And mention Squirrel, just for giggles.